This calculator is intended as a simple example of the kind of calculations performed using PROFILES spreadsheets. This calculator was chosen because it is recent, simple (requires relatively few inputs) and addresses problems that are common. The PROFILES spreadsheet models are typically more complex, involving projections of the functional consequences of malnutrition each year over a longer period (usually 5-10 years) and involving a comparison of "do nothing" and "improved" scenarios.

Iron deficiency has been implicated, through its contribution to anemia, as an important factor contributing to maternal death. A recent effort to quantify this contribution (Stoltzfus et al. 2003) draws on a meta-analysis of six studies. The model used here is based on an algorithm suggested by Stoltzfus et al. 2003. Reference: Stoltzfus, RJ, Mullany L, Black RE. Iron deficiency anaemia. In: Comparative Quantification of Health Risks: Global and Regional Burden of Disease due to Selected Major Risk Factors. Geneva: WHO. 2003.

Instructions
Boxes with  yellow borders  are to be filled in by the user. Click on the box and enter data that is representative for the country of your choice. Then click the Get Results button to see the results in the boxes with red borders.

Inputs	Estimate
1. Maternal mortality ratio (maternal deaths per 100,000 live births)
2. Prevalence of anemia (Hemoglobin < 11.0 g/dL) among pregnant women (%)
3. Number of births per year in the target area
4. Proportion of anemia in pregnancy due to iron deficiency

The results for the country of choice are the following:
1. Percent of maternal mortality due to iron deficiency anemia		%
2. Number of maternal deaths due to iron deficiency per year		deaths per year

For detailed information about the calculators, click here

See Also: the Underweight calculator